Читать книгу Elinor. The Deserted Valley. Book 1 - Mikhail Shelkov - Страница 24

A bright red semicircle of the morning sun appeared above the impenetrable wall of trees. Its rays instantly painted the dark green tops of sharp centuries’ old fir trees a fiery color. The fire also ran along the small forest streams and the blooming meadows. It became lighter even in the darkest thickets where the mighty coniferous crowns formed a heavy dome under the sky, covering their secret dark kingdom. But the bright rays of dawn now penetrated these too! They found small squirrels among dense foliage and needles, and flew inward, making life in the gloomy wilderness a little cheerier.

The time of haze and darkness was receding, a dark terrible time, a time of terrible six-fingered monsters. Every Vedich knew to firmly lock one’s house with shutters, or the six-fingered would come at night and drag you off; first into the dark thicket, and then into the underground hole. He knew if that happened, that would be the end and one was lost. Neither the sabers nor the bears would be able to help because the six-fingered were not afraid of them. But when one woke up, he was to open all the shutters, put on the light in his house, and go out to thank Mother Nature for saving him that night and scaring the monsters off!

A new morning fell upon Swa-Ioledea, also known as the Vedich city of the Sacred Dawn or for some strangers, simply Sacredawn. There were legends that told of the ancestors of the Vedichs, who had travelled for a long time from the Valley of the Ancestors to this place. After setting out on their journey, they exited the city into a huge forest glade. And from the thicket across the glade came another unknown tribe, calling itself the people of the Vedas. As the elders of the tribe approached each other, a red dawn rose above the forest. Such a bright one, such a beautiful one.

“This is a sign from above,” agreed the elders, believing that Mother Nature herself had given instructions to her children. Since then, these two tribes united as a single nation, whose name became the Vedichs. And near the glade grew the City of the Sacred Dawn, built on trees with thick branches that served as family houses as the trees themselves were connected by pendant footbridges.

Because the Vedichs worshipped Mother Nature, they didn’t cut the woods, burn grass, or break branches off bushes. There was no need, as the mature fruit fell into one’s hands all by itself! If the forest wanted to get rid of unnecessary branches or extra trunks, a strong wind would come and do its thing. Then one could go and pick up whatever was needed, such as firewood for fire, berries with fruits, branches and logs to strengthen dwellings or crafts, dishes, amulets, plaques for writing. The herbs also were handled carefully. If one raised the bush up to one’s waist, the twigs were cut gently so that it could grow further. And the ones that were cut off were used either in pottage or used to make threads and fabrics.

The Vedichs were also skilled craftsmen who loved beauty. Their clothes were embroidered with various colors and patterns. It was a shame for a Vedich to walk around in dirty clothes! Nature had given the forest rivers and lakes for drinking and ablution, so one should always be clean. All of their wisdom, stories, and poems about the beauty of their forests was recorded on wooden plaques, but the Vedichs didn’t keep track of time.